LIST: Whereabouts of PH’s ‘big fugitives’

MANILA — Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Monday gave updates on the whereabouts of the country’s “big fugitives”.

Atong Ang in Mandaluyong RTC on July 3, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File According to Remulla, Ang is in the general Southeast Asian region.

There were earlier reports that Ang was seen in Cambodia.

Remulla said one of the challenges in tracking Ang was his alleged access to billions of dollars in assets converted into cryptocurrency, which he said could make it difficult for authorities to trace his money and movements.

“With that kind of money, you can pay people off. We’re not saying he’s paying people off in Cambodia, but he’s in this Southeast Asian region, or up to the Pacific Islands, in-investigate natin,” he said.

Ang is the alleged mastermind in the disappearance of dozens of cockfighting enthusiasts.

He has been in hiding since a court issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with multiple criminal complaints stemming from the case of the missing sabungeros.

Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co. House of Representatives/File

Meanwhile, Remulla said former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co was in France and was applying for asylum.

Co was already in his third month of the asylum application process, which Remulla said typically takes months.

Remulla said the absence of a red notice remained an obstacle to efforts to have Co arrested abroad.

He also claimed that Co was staying in a 10-bedroom mansion about 150 meters from the Champs-Élysées and Avenue Montaigne in Paris. 

“One whole building sa kanya. He bought the building,” he added.

BATO DELA ROSA: MINDANAORonald Dela Rosa speaks to the media during an ambush interview at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

According to Remulla, Dela Rosa is in Mindanao and he is being protected by a “very powerful group”.

“He is being protected by a very powerful group there, that we are negotiating with para i-turn over na sa amin,” he said.

He also warned that an operation could result in heavy casualties among police personnel.

“He’s hidden in deep,” Remulla said.

“They are very financially — have a lot of armed men,” he said. “We have to [negotiate], otherwise if we go in hard, the body bags will be high,” he said. 

Dela Rosa has been in hiding since leaving the Senate in May, when authorities sought to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the ICC over his alleged role in killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

The ICC unsealed the warrant on May 11, saying there were reasonable grounds to believe Dela Rosa was responsible for the crime against humanity of murder in connection with the anti-drug campaign.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

LEANDRO LEVISTE: ‘NOT YET A FUGITIVE’ 1st District of Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste speaks to the members of the press after the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2026 national budget during a plenary session on Monday, December 29, 2025.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste and his mother, Senator Loren Legarda, are currently outside the country. 

It is not clear where they are exactly, but in a recent social media post, Leviste said he bought the house Jose Rizal lived in in Wilhelmsfeld in Germany. There were also earlier reports that they were in France.

Remulla clarified that Leviste is not yet considered a fugitive since he posted bail for alleged violation of the Public Services Act.

“He is not a fugitive yet, because he has posted bail. But when the trial is set to start, I think pwede na siyang bigyan ng… the court will then file a warrant of arrest against him,” he said.

Legarda, meanwhile, has been on medical leave since August 3. There are no cases filed against her.